ENUGU—A coalition of Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, under the umbrella of Coalition of South East Civil Society Activists and Human Rights Defenders has cried out against the continued marginalization of the South East region which has worsened under the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Convener of the coalition, Comrade Ibuchukwu Ezike while addressing newsmen at a press conference in Enugu on Monday, said the group had petitioned the United Nations, Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and other relevant stakeholders in the global scene on the provocative exclusion and orchestrated reduction of Ndigbo to second class citizens in Nigeria, urging them to mount pressure on Buhari to re-write the wrongs meted on the Igbo nation.
The coalition was piqued by the skewed appointment of security chiefs, excluding the Igbo, noting that “under the watch of President Buhari, there has been no consideration for Nigeria’s heterogeneity in appointment of security chiefs.” “No Igbo man is appointed to head any of the security agencies. Thus, the Igbo ethnic nationality has no representative in both the National Defence Council and Nigeria Security Council,” the statement read.
Among part of the issues raised at the conference was the absence of critical infrastructure in the region and the shutdown of Akanu Ibiam international airport in Enugu state.
According to the coalition, “The on-going construction of rail lines across the country is not witnessed anywhere in the South East. The ambitious Port-Harcourt-Maiduguri railway project, which was meant to span through Aba, Umuahia, Enugu, Otukpor, Makurdi, Kafanchan, Kaduna and Kuru-Jos, Bauchi, Gombe, Maiduguri is being politicized. The painful fact is that the federal government is borrowing hugely to build this infrastructure, and would in turn resort to the nationally accrued revenue for the repayment obligations.
“The federal roads in the South East are largely in a state of decay. Apart from some sections of Enugu – Port-Harcourt expressway where rehabilitation works are on-going, the Enugu-Onitsha and Enugu-Otukpa expressways are not only in a deplorable state, but also, they constitute a nightmare to commuters. The second Niger Bridge has remained a bait to woo Ndigbo at every election year.
“Our people are known as the largest importers in the country. Yet, efforts to dredge the Onitsha seaport and construct the inland port at Abia State had remained a paper tiger. And total dependence on Lagos ports is no longer tenable.
“We take exception to the abrupt shut down of Enugu Airport (the only international airport in the South East) without notice and provision of alternative route. For us, it is a mark of insensitivity to, and disrespect for the beleaguered people of the South East.
“We appreciate the fact that the action was moved by safety concerns, yet, suffice it to say that due diligence should have been completed before the closure. When Abuja Airport was closed down, the contract for the rehabilitation was awarded with a completion timeline of 6 weeks. Kaduna Airport was put in order as an alternative route, while the federal government dedicated two transport companies to convey passengers to and fro Abuja and Kaduna. In the case of Enugu Airport, none of these measures were taken. The project is not even captured in the 2019 appropriation. Therefore, nobody is sure of the contractor, the funding mechanism, and when the project would be completed. We see this as double standard.”
It also noted that the South East region receives the least allocation from the federal government, as a result of the imbalance in the number of states and local government areas (LGAs) created by the military.
“Each of the zones has six states, except the North West with 7 states, while South East takes the bottom rung of the ladder with only 5 states. For emphasis, the 3 states in the North West alone (Kano, Katsina and Jigawa) have a total of 105 LGAs, as against the 5 states in the South East with a total of only 95 LGAs. The 2014 Constitutional Conference had set out to re-write this injustice, but President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to implement the recommendations,” the statement added.
Making a reference to a news publication on Punch newspapers, the coalition group expressed shock at the deliberate efforts by Buhari to concentrate interventions of development partners in the North, saying, “in October 2017, we were shocked when the President of World Bank, Jim Yong Kim said that President Buhari requested the body to shift focus of her interventions to Northern Nigeria, which the World Bank did.”
The group also frowned at the delay in the passage of South East Development Commission, SEDC, Bill by the Senate and the edging out of Ndigbo from critical government agencies.
It said: “We expect that the zeal displayed in the passage of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Act and North East Development Commission (NEDC) Act should be replicated in the South East Development Commission bill, to facilitate massive repairs and rehabilitations, which the former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon’s 3 ‘Rs’ could not address, at the end of the 30-month civil war.
“Against the principle of federal character, people from the zone are scarcely represented in the top echelon of key sectors of Nigerian economy like the NNPC, NPA, NIMASA, CBN, etc. The few beneficiaries of appointive positions are into less relevant ministries and parastatals. Thus, the zone is systematically edged out from the leading executive, legislative and judicial authorities.”
The group queried why the government was negotiating with terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen and bandits while proscribing and designating peaceful protesters of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, as terrorists.
According to the statement, “Selective justice in the war against terror in Nigeria. Some Boko Haram members have been granted amnesty and absorbed into the military. States like Zamfara, Sokoto and Katsina are receiving encouragement from the federal government to negotiate with rampaging bandits. The killer-herdsmen that were designated as the fourth deadliest terrorist group in the world as at 2014 have continued their terror campaigns across the country. Yet, the IPOB peaceful protesters in the South East were designated as terrorists.”
On the 2023 presidency the coalition noted that “some have campaigned against zoning. Others have justified the retention of power in the North after President Buhari’s 8-year tenure. Yet, another group is drawing support for South West after holding the power for 8 years (1999-2007). These are targeted at deepening the marginalization of Ndiigbo. The game-plan is to out-scheme Igbo sons and daughters from taking a shot at the presidency.”
Some of the prayers conveyed to the Diplomatic Missions from the South East coalition includes, “That President Buhari should respect the principle of federal character in the distribution of public good and appointive positions, especially the security chiefs.
“That President Buhari should send an executive bill to the National Assembly for the creation of one additional state in the south east, to be at par with the other zones.
“That the Federal Government should mobilize resources to ensure speedy completion of Enugu Airport rehabilitation and expansion of the tarmac before the Christmas season.
“That the National Assembly should urgently complete legislative works in SEDC bill and dispatch to Mr. President for his assent.
“That the Federal Government should build an international seaport in the South East.
“That the Federal Government should show a strong political will in tackling the security challenges bedeviling the country, largely attributed to the killer-herdsmen and armed bandits.
“That the Federal Government should de-proscribe IPOB, negotiate with them, and address the grievances that bred the agitations. Bandits in the North West have more criminal records than IPOB. What is good for geese is good for the gander.
“That the ruling APC should make a declaratory statement on the 2023 presidency.
“That the Federal Government should urgently close down the borders in North to checkmate the influx of illegal immigrants, small arms and light weapons (SALWs), and the killer herdsmen into the country. If Federal Government could close Seme Border in the South to checkmate rice smuggling, it should do the same in the North to checkmate influx of arms and criminals.”
